


A Sword, a Shield and a Child

by Vulnonapix



Series: Mama Zacian [10]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Big brother leon, Child Hop (Pokemon), Found Family, Gen, Hop-centric (Pokemon), Human Zacian, Hurt/Comfort, No Incest, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sad Hop (Pokemon), Sweet Hop (Pokemon), but doesnt have mutch time because of Rose, he tries, protective leon, spirit Zacian, they will change with every chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:55:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28959042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vulnonapix/pseuds/Vulnonapix
Summary: Backstory of "of daggers and flowers".i decided to re-write the backstory, because I didnt like how the old one-shots turned out.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Hop, Hop & Zacian (Pokemon)
Series: Mama Zacian [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718260
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	1. The Lady of the Forrest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is how i imagined Zacian. it doesnt look so good, but, hey! who cares?
> 
> https://vulnonapix1234.tumblr.com/post/641209012175732736/human-zacian-for-my-fanfic-a-sword-a-shield-and

The Slumbering Weald is a dangerous place.

Hop knows that. His brother often told him the story, how Sonja had been lost as a child in the forest for days and was badly injured when they found her. The Pokémon that live there are told to be much stronger than those on the other routes and it seems that this place is constantly surrounded by a thick fog. 

This is also the reason why the area is fenced and no children are allowed to enter it without strong Pokémon and an adult.

What Hop doesn't know is why exactly he broke that rule, by climbing over the fence. He's not sure what he was thinking, but he knows he can't go back home just home.

His family must be so mad at him.

After all, he humiliated them with his stupid behavior before Leon and then ran away.

How the coward hop is.

Leon must be so disappointed in him and that's the worst. He can endure his mother's displeasure, the resentment of his grandmother, even his grandfather's rage, but he could never bear the disappointment his brother must be feeling.

He can feel tears running down his cheeks and a loud sob coming from his throat. Hop feels terrible and he can't hold back any more, as he starts to cry.

Now he's not just a coward, but also a crybaby.

If his grandfather knew about it ...  
The boy shudders at the thought.

He's not sure how long he's sitting there, vision blurred by the tears, as the howling of a Pokémon draws him away from his thoughts.

It is also the moment where his own situation becomes clear to him. Hop is in a very dangerous place with lots of dangerous Pokémon. It is clear that he has to run, before anything caught up to him. Before he gets hurt.

He looks around desperately, but he can't remember where he came from.  
A thick fog has come up and he can barely see the way.

Hop is completely scared and he just wants his brother to come and save him.

"Leon!"

At the same time, as he is yelling for his brother, he can hear the Pokémon howling again.

He can't help but scream, as he starts running away.  
Hop doesn't know where he's going, just that he has to go somewhere.

"Help! Please, someone! Leon!"

His screams echo through the forest and panic flows through his small body. The boy doesn't know where to go, or if there is anyone here who could help him at all. He was terrified and didn’t know what to do. Hop didn’t want to end up like Sonja or to die and to never see Leon again. 

At least until he gets a glimpse of a really tall woman, who seemed to be going somewhere.

"Hey-, W-wait-, please!"

The woman doesn't seem to hear him, as she continues her way and Hop tries to run after her. She's really fast and Hop he can barely reach her, before he trips over something and falls face first to the ground.

Tears start to fall from his eyes again, when he realized that he had lost the woman again. Now he is alone again, only surrounded by this thick fog.

"Please come back - I'm scared."

It's the truth. Leon's friend had often told him horror stories, about camping in the wild zone, how trainers would be attacked by wild Pokémon or disappeared altogether. His brother always said that Raihan just made up the stories, but right now he's doubting it. If he is attacked now, he would not be able to protect himself if anything would happen.

"Oh my-, you are not supposed to be here."

Hop winces and looks up, startled, when he hears a female voice. The woman has come back and the boy has to swallow when he takes a closer look at her.

This woman clearly wasn’t human and he doesn't know whether to look at her with fear or in awe.

She is the most beautiful being he has ever seen, but he knows that she is dangerous. He has read many fairy tales about fairies and elves, how they can be friend and foe at the same time.

"Please help me!"

Hop is scared, but the Lady is the only one who can help him. He doesn't want to die and leave his brother alone. This would be terrible.

He winces again, as the woman wipes away his tears with her thumbs. Her hands are very cold, but the touch is very tender, as if to calm him down.

"What are you doing here? This is not a place for small children like you. "

Her voice is very soft, much softer than he had imagined. Hop looks down as he tries to avoid her eyes. They are very different from his brother's gentle honey-colored eyes, or his mother's rejecting cold eyes. The lady's eyes are untamed, as if something wild was lying in these golden mirrors.

"I ran away from home because-, because-"

Hop can't finish his sentence, when new tears fall from his eyes. He's a terrible child and doesn't deserve any kindness.

The lady makes a strange noise that reminds the boy very much of Charizard, when Leon goes in the wrong direction. It is a sound of concern and more tears are falling from his eyes.

"I'm a disappointment to my family!"

It came out a little louder as he wanted and he blushes and shamefully buries his face in his hands. This was terrible.

"What happened?"

Slowly he looks up again, right into the woman's wild eyes. She has an expression of compassion on her face and Hop has to swallow. This is to much for the boy.

“I- my brother is a great person. He is very smart, nice, strong and the champion of the region. He is an extraordinary person and my family wants me to follow in his footsteps. But it's hard for me to be like him, no matter how hard I try- "

The woman is silent when she grabs his shoulders and interrupts him. Her grip is very tight and Hop is sure, that he will have some new bruises there.

"No."

Her voice is firm and loud and Hop would like to cower away from her. It's never good when adults get loud. He doesn't like it at all.

"Oh, I-, sorry. I did not mean to scare you."

She lets go of his shoulders and looks at him with a wretched expression on her face. It seems that she herself is surprised by her actions. As if she didn’t want to harm or scare him.

“Your family is stupid if they think it's a good idea to compare you to your brother. It hurts everyone involved. I’ve seen it happen countless times! "

Her voice has gone back to its soft tone and Hop is slowly nodding. He doesn't really understand what she means and he's not sure how to respond.

"Tell me one thing. Do you hate your brother? "

The boy flinches when he hears the question. He looks at her, startled, as this concept alone is terrible for him.

"No! Never! I love Leon and could never hate him. "

His voice is loud and firm when he jumps up. Leon is the best. He protects him and makes sure that he is fine. His hugs are warm and tight and Hop would like to never let him go. His brother means security.

The lady gives him a startled look, not expecting him to break out like this before she starts smiling. It only brings her beauty out even more, which creates a sense of shame in Hop. Like he isn’t supposed to look at her.

"That's good to know."

She looks around briefly before grabbing his hand and helping him up.

“You shouldn't stay here. Even if the Pokémon are very peaceful here, you shouldn't stay out here for the night. It will become very cold and you could get sick. "

He nods as she starts walking again, although she is now much slower than before, so he can keep up with her. The boy doesn't know where they're going, because the fog is still so thick, but he trusts her. He is sure that she will not hurt him on purpose.

“My name is Hop. What is your name?"

The woman pauses briefly and Hop has to swallow for a moment. There are so many fairy tales out there, that show why giving magical beings your real name is a bad idea, but it just felt right to him. Leon always said that you should trust your instincts.

“Oh, I see. You can call me ... Zacian. "

It seems like she had to think for a moment, like she wasn’t sure what her own name was. Somehow it makes Hop sad. He can't explain it.

Slowly the fog begins to dissolve and Hop notices that they are in a unfamiliar place. It's a strange place, like something out of a fairy tale, and a feeling of peace spreads inside it. Hop feels like he's safe.

"Is everything ok? You don’t fell faint or something?”

Zacian sounds a little worried and he looks at her a little confused. Why shouldn't he be fine? She sighs briefly before a smile graces her face again.

“We are here. This is a safe place and no one with bad intentions can enter it. "

She seems a little restless, as if she is unsure what to do now.  
Seems like he's not the only one, who doesn't know how to behave around new people. It's good for him to know, even if he doesn't really know what to do with it.

"So…"

Hop can't stand the silence anymore as he turns to Zacian. She looks at him questioningly and he quickly thinks about how he could end the sentence. Maybe he should have thought about this first, before beginning the sentence.

"Where are we? Are we still in Slumbering Weald or somewhere else entirely? "

It's something that Hop would be very interested in. In the maps, his father had drawn about the Galar region, there was no place that looked like this. There are also many stories in which children are kidnapped into another world by Fairies and other beings.

He just hopes that Zacian will bring him back if that is the case.

The woman smiles at him gently, but doesn't answer. Hop knows that it should bother him more, that he should be afraid, but he feels safe.


	2. The morning in the fog

Hop can feel someone caress his head gently. The touch is nice, very light and the boy leans a little into the hand. It's a nice feeling and he doesn't want it to stop. He feels warm, rested and safe. A mix that he usually does not experience.

The boy can hear a female voice hum a song, that doesn't sound familiar to him. It takes a little while for him to realize how wrong this scenario is.

Neither his grandmother nor his mom would ever sing a song for him, let alone be by his side when he sleeps. The only one he can think of, would be Sonja or her grandmother, but he knows how terrible Sonja sings and he doesn't want to imagine how Miss Magnolia would sing.

He carefully opens his eyes, unsure of what to expect and looks Zacian in the face. The lady has a distant expression on her face, as if her thoughts were somewhere else. It's strange to see someone so distance like that.

"Zacian?"

The woman clearly flinched when Hop speaks to her and he has the feeling that he really scared her for a moment. It seems like she didn't notice that he opened his eyes. The boy gives her a slightly confused look before slowly sitting up.

Hop can't really remember falling asleep. The last thing he knows is that Zacian has started telling him about the forest. He must have fallen asleep ... He feels sick when he realizes this. If that had happened at home ...

"I-, uh-, good morning?"

The woman looks at him without a legible expression and Hop has to swallow. Is Zacian Angry? He would understand it, after all, he showed her one of the greatest disrespect. His grandfather would probably have hit him green and blue.

"Is everything ok? Do you need something? Children need to eat, don't they? "

Zacian's facial expression now looks a bit questioning and Hop looks probably very confused. It makes no sense to the boy, that she would ask him such a thing. Both stare at each other, as Hop doesn't know how to answer and Zacian is waiting for his answer.

"Hop?"

The woman tilts her head, just as the charizard would do if he was confused. The boy still looks uncertainly at the woman and tries to come up with a halfway meaningful sentence. This situation is very strange for the boy

"I-, uh-, well, I'm fine, don't worry ... It's just ..."

Zacian looks at him patiently when he breaks off again. Hop just doesn't know how to put his thoughts into words. He doesn't want to be embarrassed or laughed at.

"It's okay."

Her voice was soft as she puts her hand on his head. The hand is very cool and Hop can feel how it calms him down. He is pretty sure that this has to be some magic trick and he can not suppress a slight sigh. Somehow it feels very good.

Hop notices Zacian looking up and staring into the forest. The boy tries to see what the woman is staring at, but can't really see anything. It surprises him a little, but he does not address it. It would be very inappropriate to him, if someone would ask him about it.

Zacian winces after a few seconds when she looks down at him. She looks slightly startled before sighing and kneeling down to him.

"Zacian?"

Hop is very confused, when the woman puts her index finger on his lips. Only now does he notice how sharp her fingernails are. They remind him more of claws. She could easily scratch him open.

"You love your brother very much, don't you?"

He nods, unsure whether to speak or not. When someone puts their finger on your mouth, it means to be quiet. Right?

Zacian has her eyes closed as if she was thinking about something. It seems like she's making a tough decision if he reads her expression correctly. She looks like his father when he's been thinking about something important. For example: what they could have for dinner or whether he could go with him on an adventure.

He misses these times. Misses his father.

"Hop ... you- you will return home. But you will come to me every day if your brother is not at home with you."

She sounds determined and the boy nods slowly. Not that he had any other choice ... At least that's what it feels like to him. He's sure that Zacian just put a spell on him, but he doesn't know if that's a bad thing. After all, he doesn't feel bad or cursed, as weird as it sounds. It doesn’t hurt.

The woman's eyes soften and a slight smile plays on her lips. It makes them look very beautiful. Hop knows everyone looks better when you smile, but Zacian takes it to a whole new level.

"Good. Then it's time to say goodbye for today. We'll meet again."

His eyes widen when a very thick fog suddenly comes up and Zacian disappears inside it. It is clear that it was her magic, but that doesn't mean Hop isn't scared. She probably wouldn't hurt him, but he still doesn't like that he's nearly blind. He can hardly see anything.

"HOP!"

The boy flinches when he hears someone calling his name. He has no idea which direction it is coming from, but the voice sounds very familiar to him. Maybe that was why Zacian left him. So someone can find him an bring him home.

"HELLO!?"

He screams as loud as he can. Hop can just hope he's been heard. It would be pretty stupid if he wasn't found and Zacian had to come back for him. If that's the reason she left him. He just hopes that was the reason. Otherwise it could end badly.

The boy can hear something really big and heavy stomp towards him and he quickly curls up into a tiny ball. His father showed him how to do this, because it would be easier for large Pokémon to miss him like this. He is also better protected this way, at least he learned it like this.

It occurs to him, how Zacian had said that the Pokémon are actually peaceful here, but it doesn't feel like that to the boy right now. he can hear it getting closer and closer and he closes his eyes shut. Hop doesn't want to know what's in store for him.

The boy can hear the Pokémon reach him and stop in front of him. He can only quiver, as he hears it puff and gently touching him with its snout. That's when Hop looks up and into the eyes of Charizard, Leons partner. It feels like a rock is falling from his chest as he hugs the Pokémon tightly. He knows and trusts the Pokémon, that is softly rubbing its cheeks over his face.

"Charizard, did you find-, HOP!"

His brother quickly runs towards him and for a very brief, ghastly moment, Hop thinks that his brother is angry and would hit him. It was the way the fog let his form look and they way his body was tensed. Nothing like that happens, but the boy flinches anyway when Leon hugs him tightly and presses him against himself.

"Leon?"

Hop is deeply shaken when he sees thick tears running down his brother's cheeks. If grandfather knew about it ... He would be really angry.

"Hop, I- are you hurt !?"

His brother's voice sounds concerned, almost scared, as he examines him for injuries. The boy feels terrible because he is actually doing very well, better than normally. He wasn’t injured or in real danger. Zacian had taken care of him after all...

"Leon, it-, I-."  
He just can't tell him, no matter how he tries. It feels like he's got a lump in his throat, that won't let him tell his brother about Zacian. This is probably the magic that the woman casted on him. Hop feels very guilty when he sees his brother's expression and buries his face in Leon's shoulder.

Hop truly is a terrible person.


End file.
